Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring problem on Tuesday night.
The left-back was forced off little more than 15 minutes after being brought on in the 0-0 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion. He joins long-term absentees Omar Richards (hairline fracture of the leg) and Moussa Niakhate (hamstring) in being out of action.
Midfielder Lewis O’Brien is also likely to be missing for Saturday’s clash with Liverpool. The summer signing has not been involved in the last two games due to illness, and has still not fully recovered.
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Liverpool test
Head coach Steve Cooper has vowed Nottingham Forest will take on Liverpool “with confidence” at the City Ground.
The Welshman is under no illusions that his side face a difficult test as they take on Jurgen Klopp’s side having gone nine Premier League games without a win. But he insists belief remains high in the squad, particularly on the back of keeping a clean-sheet at Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night.
The midweek 0-0 draw at the Amex Stadium lifted the Reds off the foot of the table - at least until Leicester City take on Leeds United this evening. Next up is a Liverpool team which has only lost twice in the league so far this season, but Cooper says Forest will not go into the game fearing their opponents.
“There might not be that many weaknesses, but at the same time, you’ve got to go into these games really backing yourself and really thinking you can make a difference - both as a player and with the plan,” he said. “We’re at home, in our stadium, with the support we get.
Loan struggles
Nottingham Forest loanee Alex Mighten has been told by Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore that it will "take time" to build up his body for playing 90 minutes after making a rare start against Leicester City's under-21s.
The 20-year-old has endured a difficult loan spell with the League One side since arriving in late August. Just seven appearances have followed for the winger, but just four of those have come during the club's league campaign, with them currently sitting in a play-off position.
Mighten's minutes have mainly come in the midweek Papa John's Trophy matches, starting all three of their outings, including the final group game against the academy side of Forest's East Midlands rivals. That competition is now over for Wednesday, though, after finishing third behind Burton Albion and Bradford City, who advance to the knockout stages, begging the question of what is next for the Reds' academy graduate.
Manager Moore has since spoken at length about the player and how he sees him within the Owls' squad. "What you have to remember with Alex is he has always been an impact player coming on the pitch, and we want him here to play and start games, " their boss told Yorkshire Live.
Klopp's hint
Jurgen Klopp has hinted that Liverpool are working towards pairing Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez up front ahead of their trip to Nottingham Forest.
The Reds will travel to the City Ground on Saturday in the early lunchtime kick-off (12:30pm), having sealed a narrow win against West Ham in midweek. Nunez scored the only goal in the game and his fifth since his move from Benfica in the summer.
Prior to his start on Wednesday night, Nunez had been benched for the win over Manchester City as Salah played a central striking position, scoring the only goal. Klopp has recently opted to step away from his 4-3-3 approach, with a formation that has seen a main centre forward being supported by another player in a deeper role.
Asked about how the new formation has affected Salah's role when playing on the right, he said: "Not at all. It's just that we all have to defend, and Mo has to defend then slightly differently than he did in the past or in the centre.
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